Zach Kelso
Zachary "Zach" Kelso is an Original Character and Sophomore Non-Clique student created by Roosevelt. Description Zach is a Caucasian teenage boy of average build, standing at around 5'2" with clear skin, green eyes, and dark brown hair that is hardly seen combed. His overall strength is not impressive, but he is somewhat physically capable of defending himself. At Bullworth Academy, Zach tends to follow the dress code. In the warmer months, he wears a blue Bullworth uniform vest over a white-collared shirt, a black tie, khaki pants, and gray tennis shoes. In the colder months, he dons a Bullworth fleece, gray wool fingerless gloves, and a blue beanie. On Halloween, Zach dresses up as a typical Prohibition-era gangster, outfitted with a white-stripped black suit and topped off with a fedora. Personality Being a new student from the West Coast, Zach's attitude is somewhat different than most others in the Bullworth area. From seeing organized crime back at Los Santos and San Fierro, Zach used to try to put on a tough act by flashing gang signs, which he was warned was dangerous to do on the street. He can often be arrogant, immature, and sometimes a bit too naive for his own good. As other boys his age at the academy act, he fancies himself somewhat of "stud" and attempts to look good in front of groups of girls. Contrary to how he can initially come off to most, he is very kind to people he considers friends and would not be afraid to side on their behalf. Background Early Life Zach was born in the city of San Fierro as an only child to the middle-class couple, Jake and Linda. For both, it felt that their relationship had moved too quickly into a responsibility neither knew how to handle. So, growing up, he was persistently ignored by his parents as they made little effort to bond with him. While they weren't working, they tended only to his basic needs and spent more time arguing with each other. His mediocre childhood had quite an effect on him, as he resorted to troublemaking to get his parent's attention. By the age of 10, he could be caught breaking windows, swearing in class, and firing off bottle rockets in the backyard. In his preteen years, he started participating with other kids in petty theft and vandalism. Of course, his parents noticed all of it and he was punished the way they saw fit. But even then, he did not receive the proper discipline to make him improve. A few years later, Linda and Jake decided to end their crumbling marriage by filing for divorce. They finally agreed to do it for various reasons, including recent extramarital affairs on both sides. Jake thought it would be best to send Zach to his uncle's for the summer while they went through it and figured out who would end up with custody. His uncle, Leonard Rodriguez, was a Los Santos hotel owner by day, and a loyal hit-man for the Madrazo Cartel by night. Though reluctant to take him in, Leonard did so out of sympathy and afforded Zach any luxury he wanted to keep him satisfied during his stay. However, his continued bad behavior caused them to clash frequently as he often acted out in front of people Leonard brought over. It only grew worse after Zach discovered Leonard's secret life of crime and tried to use it against him. Near the end of the summer, Leonard eventually found out that Jake had discreetly fooled him into taking custody of Zach during one of his visits. To add insult to injury, he had also managed to access Leonard's bank account and stole thousands of dollars without his knowledge. Enraged, Leonard sent Zach to Bullworth Academy to finish high school while he set out to take revenge on his cousin-in-law. Social Status Upon his arrival at Bullworth Academy, Zach came off to a rocky start when he made enemies with Ted Thompson. This immediately gave him a bad reputation with the Jocks and Prefects, groups that both took notice of his inability to settle in with a clique. Shortly thereafter, he became an enemy of the Bullies and the Preppies as well due to his unwillingness to be a constant victim. However, he is on good terms with most of the other Non-Clique students. Specifically, making early friends with Blake Baines, who was a constant victim of the local authority. He also befriended Roxanne Smith, but they are more of acquaintances and don't have a lot in common. As for the rest of the cliques, he is mostly considered just another "scrawny nobody". Relationships Guardian Leonard Rodriguez: While Leonard and Zach had only known each other briefly and their relationship was negative, Leonard did not outright abandon him as his parents did. He kept him partially in hopes to make a better life for him than they had. Despite being a ruthless criminal, he genuinely cares about Zach. His seemingly inconsiderate decision to send him to Bullworth was partly done because he did not want him to be around for his father's eventual demise. Friends Blake Baines: Zach first met Blake on his first day at Bullworth while the latter was recording his thoughts on a cassette tape whilst walking around campus and the two nearly ran into each other. He was relieved by Blake's genuine kindness despite the near incident and was able to drop his tense behavior in front of him. Blake decided to take him under his wing shortly after that, though the two have occasionally had falling outs when they reached social disagreements. Gregory Todd: Zach befriended Gregory during his first Christmas at Bullworth. Due to his outright sympathetic behavior from the start, the two became quick friends. Erick Boucher: Zach met Erick through Gregory Todd during their first encounter. Having no previous knowledge of him, Zach hadn't known what to expect, especially since he wasn't aware that Gregory had befriended someone so intimidating or aggressive. Though the two differ in terms of their personalities, Erick seems to have taken the role of an older brother figure to Zach. Romances While attending Bullworth, Zach has met a few girls whom he is interested in but aimed low in the hierarchy at the start of the school year to avoid being embarrassed in front of the controlling cliques. His chances with those who he truly wants to date are pretty slim, according to Blake. Christy Martin: Zach sought to get with Christy after he successfully complimented one of her cheer routines. Their relationship was fairly stable and she even hung out with Blake and Zach on occasion. They broke up after she found him making out with Lola behind a Yum Yum Market. Lola Lombardi: Zach had a fling with Lola after she flirted with him several times. He took this as a positive result of taking advice from a couple of friends on trying a different approach with dating. Despite being in a relationship with Christy at the time, he went all-in for Lola but tried to find a way to break up with Christy without anyone finding out. He continued to date her after he and Christy officially broke up, however, Johnny Vincent was a problem on Lola's end. Though she frequently told him she was done with Johnny, she ended up dumping Zach after he avoided fighting him. Pinky Gauthier: Zach was meant to enter a relationship with Pinky on Blake's prompting when Blake thought both of them should get with Preppies. Blake was to date Emily but Zach didn't show much interest in the plan. Mandy Wiles: On the first day of being shown around campus by Blake, Mandy quickly caught Zach's eye. While she is technically a member of the Jocks and is known for being cruel to other students, he would go great lengths to impress her. Despite Blake's warnings on how she is Ted Thompson's girlfriend, he still believes she is someone he has a shot at scoring with someday. Trivia * Zach shares the same surname as Jack Kelso, a protagonist in the Rockstar game L.A. Noire. * When he first came to Bullworth, he already possessed a slingshot but had it confiscated by Prefects. * His favorite song is "The Love Of Richard Nixon", by the Manic Street Preachers. Category:Fanfictional Boys Category:Fanfictional Non Clique Students Category:Original Characters Category:Fanfictional Students